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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Immunofluorescence to Monitor the Cellular Uptake of Human Lactoferrin and its Associated Antiviral Activity Against the Hepatitis C Virus
Published on: October 1, 2015
Sustained virological response to interferon reduces cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis C: a 1,386-patient study from
1Hepatobiliary Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Background:
The long-term benefits of interferon-based therapy on preventing cirrhosis at non-cirrhotic stage in chronic hepatitis C patients are not fully clarified.
Aim:
To evaluate the effectiveness of interferon-based therapy regarding to cirrhosis prevention in non-cirrhotic chronic hepatitis C patients.
Methods:
A total of 1386 biopsy-proven, non-cirrhotic chronic hepatitis C patients (892 received interferon-based therapy and 494 untreated) were enrolled.
Results:
Fifty-six untreated and 51 treated (24 sustained virologic responders and 27 non-responders) patients developed cirrhosis during a mean follow-up period of 5.0 (1-16) and 5.1 (1-15.3) years, respectively. The annual incidences of cirrhosis in untreated and treated groups were 2.26 and 1.11% (non-responders: 1.99%, sustained responders: 0.74%), respectively. The 15-year cumulative incidence of cirrhosis was significantly lower in treated (9.9%) than untreated patients (39.8%, P = 0.0008, log-rank test). The 14.5-year cumulative incidence of cirrhosis was significantly lower in sustained responders (4.8%) compared with non-responders (21.6%, P = 0.0007) and untreated patients (36.6%, P < 0.0001). The difference was not significant between non-responders and untreated controls. Cox proportional hazards regression showed sustained virologic responders and younger age were independent negative factors for cirrhosis development.
Conclusion:
A sustained virologic response secondary to IFN-based therapy could reduce cirrhosis development in chronic hepatitis C patients.
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